The City Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand

The City Lodge (150 Vincent St., Auckland, New Zealand; phone 64 9 379 6183, www.citylodge.co.nz), where I stayed for a week, Jan. 31-Feb. 7, 2008, is in the heart of Auckland, a 5-minute walk from the free bus or from the Sky Tower.

It bills itself as a hostel (it has a common room with cooking facilities and high-speed Internet), but it is more like a hotel.

The rooms are small but clean, airy and cheerful. All have en suite bathrooms, and shampoo and soap are furnished. The closet held my week’s worth of clothing and the cabinet in the bathroom, my toiletries.

There was a TV, a good-sized refrigerator, a hot pot and a daily supply of tea, instant coffee and milk. There was heating but no A/C, which, even though it was the height of summer, I did not need.

The staff was friendly and helpful.

From NZ$65 for a single room, NZ$95 for a double, NZ$105 for a triple (US$50, US$73 and US$81, respectively). I booked my room from www.hostels.com.

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